The inventors business involves machining large blocks of graphite into smaller precision shapes and sizes (commonly referred to as blanks) per an individual customer's specification. The largest portion of this business is the creation of rectangular blank shapes for electrical discharge machining (EDM). EDM is typically used within machine shops for the manufacture of hardened steel molds or dies that require intricate details.
Customers have sometimes complained that pricing in certain sizes or machining tolerances did not make sense. This was due to a manufacturer's use of approximations and judgments in their calculations.
Within this industry and in the market place it is not uncommon for a manufacturer to be accused by prospects or customers of “pricing that is not easily calculated” which immediately creates a credibility problem for the sale. The industry and market is lacking a means for providing a basis of credibility, leadership, and transparency in the pricing and sales efforts.
The existing process for calculating a custom graphite rectangle requires manual calculation of material costs, mark-up percentage and machining labor costs with spreadsheet shortcuts. The current method does not account for material machining difficulty or small zone part size pricing.
Therefore what is needed is a system and method for more consistent pricing.
What is also needed is a system and method that provides more control and a greater confidence in a manufacturer's capabilities of providing fair and consistent pricing.